As the Moon Waned to Crescent We Started to Kiss
by Jack E. Peace
Summary: Chloe had always thought it was ridiculous when people differentiated between city people and country people. Now she's starting to think that there's some truth in those labels after all.


**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Title comes from the song "Blood Bank" by Bon Iver (his song "Woods" also gave me feels while writing this...can't imagine why...)

**A/N: **So this story comes from a prompt given to me oh-so-subtly by Melissa7187 and blackindiaink. Can't promise this fills the prompt or is even what they had in mind but this is the best I got!

**"As the Moon Waned to Crescent We Started to Kiss"**

At first, Chloe is all for the idea. In fact, she's almost more enthusiastic than Aubrey, which is not a surprise considering that Chloe often makes up the enthusiasm that Aubrey lacks. Even if Chloe never would have thought of this particular outing on her own, she gets behind it one hundred percent, especially when Aubrey tells her that camping was one of the few things that she actually did with her family growing up. So, of course, it's something that Chloe wants to try. Anything that actually gives Aubrey positive childhood memories is definitely something that Chloe can get behind.

According to Aubrey, this is the perfect time camping. Georgia is caught in that weird limbo state as summer dies and winter tries to take over, where you can't quite call it autumn but nothing else seems to fit. Where the days are humid and hot but the nights are cold enough to make you shiver. Further north of Atlanta, toward Blue Ridge, the leaves will already be starting to change and the air will carry that distinctly autumn smell that's impossible to get in the city because people don't burn piles of leaves in their backyards or decorate their living rooms with cinnamon brooms or admit that there's anything rustic to the changing of the seasons at all. According to Aubrey, this is when her father would always take her and Brad camping; even though her mother always declined the invitation, it still felt like a family trip to Aubrey. Because her father would take Friday afternoon off so that he would already be home with the car packed up when Brad and Aubrey got home from school and they'd pile into the car and Aubrey would sit in the back, sandwiched next to a box of food and their sleeping bags and other supplies and listen to her father as he told stories about his own camping trips or experiences with roughing it during his time in the military. And she would help with setting up camp and pitching the tent with such gusto that her father would clap a hand on her shoulder and compliment her for how quickly she had strung the poles together or how securely the stakes were hammered into the ground. And they would break all of Gwen Posen's rules about eating healthy and roast hot dogs and make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast and lunch and they'd go on hikes and at night they'd watch the stars come out and Aubrey would just stare up at the velvet night sky in amazement because the city made you forget that stars existed anywhere other than planetariums and science class but here it was impossible not to wonder about the planets and the worlds that stretched out in the galaxies beyond.

And even though the camping trips stopped shortly after Aubrey turned ten, her longing for those weekend excursions has done little to taint the joy of them. And she can't tamper down the excitement or nostalgia that she feels as she recounts the trips to Chloe and her girlfriend sits on the other side of the couch, enraptured by these memories and the way that Aubrey is telling them. Because it's not often that Aubrey talks about her childhood and she never talks about it in this much detail or positivity. So even though Chloe has never been camping before in her life, how can she say no to the idea when it clearly makes Aubrey so happy?

And really, how hard can it be? You get a tent and some sleeping bags, build a fire, boil your water, make sandwiches, take hikes, enjoy nature…easy. And if it also involves getting Aubrey to take a half day from work and they get to spend the whole weekend together away from having to run errands and accomplish things, then Chloe is definitely all for that.

So Chloe dutifully follows Aubrey's suggestions about what to pack and goes with Aubrey to REI to pick up the camping stuff they need and teases her girlfriend about the thirty minute long discussion she gets into with one of the employees about the minute differences between two different tents. Chloe helps Aubrey pack up the car Thursday night and then rolls her eyes good-naturedly when Aubrey decides that they haven't packed efficiently because they still have to add in food and ice and things they're going to buy on the way and they unpack everything and pack it all again. But Chloe really could care less if they have to repack the car five more times because she can tell how excited Aubrey is, even though she's hiding it behind her brisk efficiency. And that makes Chloe excited too.

The drive from Atlanta up to Blue Ridge is beautiful and as the city starts to fall away and the trees become more prevalent once again, it becomes easier to see that there's a season in between summer and winter after all. The leaves on the trees are fiery reds and deep oranges and vibrant yellows and Chloe makes a mental note to collect some of the leaves around their campsite so she can take them back to show her students. They pass acres of cow pastures and horse farms and orchards and the houses are so far apart that it seems both a novelty and a little lonesome at the same time.

Chloe insists that they stop at some place aptly named The Apple Barn, which is, indeed, a giant barn full of pretty much every apple product imaginable. There's fresh cider and more varieties and colors of apples then Aubrey ever knew existed and apple pie and apple cookies and wooden signs shaped and painted like apples that read things like _you're the apple of my eye_ in fancy white lettering. It's all rustic, small town in the middle of no where charm.

They leave with a bag full of apples and two cups of hot cider and all of these things are thrust into Aubrey's hands when Chloe sees that there are ducks in the pond by the entrance. "Look Bree!" She crouches down by the side of the pond, undeterred by the fact that the ducks are keeping their distance. "They remind me of Aubrey-duck and her babies."

Chloe looks over her shoulder at Aubrey, a big grin on her face and Aubrey feels a rush of love for this person spread from her heart to the very tips of her toes. It's the type of feeling that is impossible to put into words, something that a simple _I love you_ would never be able to capture and something that Aubrey is getting used to feeling when it comes to Chloe.

"We should bring Aubrey-duck and her babies up here sometime." Chloe remarks as they walk back to the car. They add the apples in with the rest of their food and even though it's not nearly chilly enough for the cider, they both continue to sip from their cups. "I bet they would love it."

Aubrey shrugs. "They're city ducks. It might not be their thing." She points out. "Plus they might fly away and never come back."

But Chloe doesn't seem bothered by this prospect. "Oh, they'd come back." She assures Aubrey. "Where else are they going to get that oatmeal bread from Whole Foods that they love so much that someone, who shall remain nameless, always brings them?" She smirks at Aubrey.

Aubrey just rolls her eyes, the hint of a smile on her face.

It doesn't take long to get to the camp grounds from The Apple Barn. Aubrey is driving them toward the same area that her father used to take her and Brad when they were younger. The grounds are spacious and offer several different types of spots to camp so that inexperienced campers don't have to hike deep into the woods and try and figure out how to make camp on rougher terrain. Of course Marc never took them to the open fields or spots down by the rivers even though he had two young kids with them. He just loaded up Aubrey and Brad with the packs and camping gear and expected them to follow him into the woods without compliment. Which, of course, they did.

The size of the camp grounds means that it's possible to still achieve the feeling of being alone in the woods even though there are at least a dozen other people camping nearby. Aubrey parks the car at the edge of the flat, open space and pops the trunk so they can start unloading.

"We'll probably have to take a few trips to get all our stuff there." Aubrey remarks as she hands Chloe her bag and the sleeping bags.

Chloe raises an eyebrow. "You mean we're not going to camp here?" She glances around, trying to figure out what's wrong with the space they're in now. If they set up their tent a few feet away from the car, they'd be under the shade of some of some of the low hanging tree branches and they'd be close enough to the car to be able to get out food and other things whenever they needed it. Plus it looks pretty easy to pitch a tent here, as opposed to the woods beyond where they're standing now.

Aubrey shakes her head, slipping her backpack over her shoulders. "Of course not." She says this like it's completely obvious. "It wouldn't be much fun to camp here. Plus we'd be too close to other people."

Chloe purses her lips but doesn't say anything more. She doesn't know what's wrong with being with other people but…clearly this is important to Aubrey so whatever. She can camp if the woods if it'll make her girlfriend happy. It's only two days anyway.

So Chloe follows Aubrey away from the car and into the woods, which don't seem suitable for camping if you ask her. There are roots and rocks and sticks everywhere and holes where you least expect them and it's a little cooler out of the sun and this is like real life camping. Like hiking the Appalachian Trail or _Into the Wild _camping. Okay, maybe not _Into the Wild_ but you get her point. Like really roughing it.

But Aubrey finds a nice spot for them to start putting up the tent; there's enough space amongst the trees to set everything up comfortably and they spend several minutes clearing the ground of sticks and rocks. Aubrey reminds Chloe not to toss the sticks aside because they're going to need them to use in the fire later that night. And that's when Chloe realizes that if they don't have a fire, they're not going to be able to see or cook or be warm or anything. It's not like she can just flip on a light switch or put something in the microwave. They're going to need to light a fire. Like they're freaking Girl Scouts or something. And for the record, Chloe was never a Girl Scout because her mother and the leader of the troop hated each other and so Samantha stuck Chloe in dance classes instead and told her that she didn't need merit badges anyway.

So it also goes without saying that, thanks to her lack of camping themed family vacations and Girl Scout activities, Chloe also doesn't know how to pitch a tent. She watches as Aubrey takes the poles and the fabric out of the bag, laying everything out across the ground and seemingly undaunted by the fact that this is going to be their shelter for the next two days. And it's fabric and a few plastic poles. And they have to assemble it themselves.

Chloe had always thought it was ridiculous when people differentiated between city people and country people. Now she's starting to think that there's some truth in those labels after all.

But Chloe has never been one to back down from a challenge or balk at learning something new. So she looks at Aubrey expectantly, eager to jump into this whole tent building thing.

"So take those poles by you and start fitting them together. And then you're going to have to slide them through the sleeves toward my side." Aubrey instructs from her spot opposite where Chloe is standing.

Chloe kneels down and picks up the plastic poles and starts snapping them together. It's really not all that hard and she feels more confident in her wilderness abilities. She even manages to thread the poles through the top of the tent and over to Aubrey without any difficulty. Aubrey hooks together the poles that lay across the ones that Chloe constructed, so that they crisscross the top of the tent.

"Okay, so this is the tricky part." Aubrey says, getting to her feet and brushing leaves off the knees of her pants. "We're going to have to push the poles up and slid them into those pockets at the corners of the tent."

Chloe sees the little pockets that Aubrey is talking about and she thinks that it doesn't seem all that tricky after all. But she quickly realizes why Aubrey's next instructions came with a disclaimer. Because forcing the poles to bend exactly the way they need to in order to give the tent its dome shape and putting the ends of the poles into the pockets on the corners quickly proves to be more difficult than Chloe previously would have suspected. The poles strain under the change in position and Chloe purses her lips and furrows her brow as she tries to wrestle them into position. Just as she thinks she's finally got it, the pole snaps out of her hands and narrowly avoids snapping her across the face.

The side that Aubrey has been working on slips free as well and she barely manages to conceal her groan of frustration. "Chloe…" Aubrey looks over at her girlfriend, forcing herself not to snap off some Marc Posen worthy comment about her apparent tent-building incompetence. "Okay, let's try again." She says instead.

And even though Chloe can see right through Aubrey's that-minor-setback-didn't-bother-me-at-all charade she still appreciates not actually being snapped at. Because she did almost just get hit with flying plastic poles, so she can do without unnecessary frustration over tent building.

This time they manage to get everything where it needs to go and the tent actually resembles a tent now. Chloe feels more optimistic about this whole camping situation now that things are coming together. The tent is nice and spacious, clearly made to accommodate more than two people, not that space is going to be an issue because she and Aubrey sleep practically on top of each other most of the time anyway. But still, it looks nice.

Chloe grins at Aubrey and Aubrey returns the gesture. "We did it." Chloe says, pleased with herself. "It looks good." She nods approvingly.

Aubrey smiles at her and rolls her eyes. "Well, we need to make sure it stays in the ground. So why don't you hammer in the stakes and I'll put up the Rain-Fly." Aubrey tosses a plastic bag in Chloe's direction.

Chloe catches the bag but looks at Aubrey quizzically. "What's a Rain-Fly?"

"It'll keep the rain from getting into our tent in case it rains." Aubrey explains, opening another bag and pulling a longer piece of fabric out of it.

Chloe wrinkles her nose. "Rain." She mumbles. "I didn't even think about that." If it rains what are they going to do? It's not like they can just go inside and appreciate the weather from the shelter of their living room. The only place to go is the tent and apparently even that might not keep them dry.

"It's not supposed to rain." Aubrey assures Chloe, covering the top of the tent with the Rain-Fly. "Don't worry. And if it does, this will keep everything relatively dry."

_Relatively dry_. Chloe doesn't really like the sound of that. But she's probably worrying for nothing if it's not even supposed to rain this weekend. So she just gets the hammer out of the cardboard box of supplies and starts hammering the stakes into the ground. This task proves to be both simple and even a little bit fun and once again, Chloe feels herself looking forward to spending the weekend out in the woods with Aubrey. It's going to be just the two of them spending some quality time together. What could possibly be wrong with that?

Chloe positions another stake in place and reaches for the hammer. Before she can start hammering in the last of the stakes, she feels something crawling across the top of her hand. She glances down, figuring it's an ant or a leaf or something and her eyes go wide when she sees a daddy long-legs spider meandering up her arm. Chloe can't help the undignified cry of surprise that escapes her lips and she quickly shakes her hand to knock the spider off, flinging the hammer into their pile of stuff at the same time.

"What's the matter?" Aubrey questions, abandoning her attempts to put up the Rain-Fly to hurry over to where Chloe is standing. "Are you okay?"

"There was a spider on me." Chloe explains, checking herself over to make sure there aren't any more spiders lurking around. She's never really been afraid of creepy-crawlies but that doesn't mean that she wants one climbing all over her. She shudders, inching closer to Aubrey.

Aubrey looks mildly amused. "Chlo, you're probably going to see a lot of them this weekend."

Chloe's eyes get big and Aubrey swallows down a laugh. "You're in the woods." She reminds her girlfriend gently.

Chloe groans and wrinkles her nose. "I didn't even think about bugs." She mumbles.

Aubrey kisses her on the cheek. "Don't worry. If we keep the tent zipped up all the time, they probably won't get inside." She goes back to adjusting the Rain-Fly.

Chloe is glad that Aubrey can't see the expression on her face, because she probably wouldn't be able to stop her laughter. Spiders in the tent? Possibly in the sleeping bags? Wonderful.

After everything with the tent is set up and the sleeping bags and backpacks are safely inside the tent, they walk back to the car to get the last of their stuff. They have canvas chairs and a little card table to use and everything looks pretty cozy. Or, as much as something can be cozy in the middle of the woods, Chloe figures.

"So what do we do now?" Chloe questions, dragging her chair over next to Aubrey's so she can take her girlfriend's hand. "You're the camping expert."

Aubrey smiles at her and looks pleased, both with herself and with how things are going. She's happy to be doing something that she loved as a child and she's happy to be sharing that something with Chloe. She gives Chloe's hand a squeeze. "Well, we can go on a hike or I think there should be a lake around here somewhere." She shrugs. "It's up to you. Even if you just want to hang around here."

Chloe is feeling pretty adventurous when she tells Aubrey that she wouldn't mind taking a hike and exploring their surroundings. It's a decision she quickly comes to regret because hiking through the woods without much of a proper trail is not all that fun and even though it's the middle of October, the days are still hot, even up here in the mountains. In spite of the bug spray that Aubrey brought along, Chloe still finds herself swatting away mosquitoes and other pests every five seconds and she's sure that she's going to have several new bug bites to go along with the scratches that she's getting from branches and the other local plant life. Aubrey holds her hand tightly as they walk along and, uncharacteristically, does most of the talking, as though she can tell that Chloe isn't exactly happy at the moment.

But they do manage to find the lake that Aubrey remembers from her childhood camping trips. And Chloe has to admit that the view is pretty nice. The lake stretches out, glossy and undisturbed, reflecting the clear sky above and the trees and mountains around the bank. They sit down on the edge of the bank and Aubrey teaches her how to skip rocks and Chloe is so focused on how much she loves hearing Aubrey's laugh and just being silly with the woman that she loves that she forgets her earlier irritation and just enjoys the moment. Which is easy to do with Aubrey's arm around her waist and her head on Aubrey's shoulder.

By the time they arrive back at their tent, the sky is starting to darken and, in true autumn fashion, the temperature is steadily creeping downward. The trees above block out most of the sun, making it darker and colder where they've chosen to set up camp and Chloe shivers and is glad that she listened to Aubrey when she suggested that she pack her old Bellas sweatshirt.

Chloe ducks into the tent to change while Aubrey starts clearing a space for them to make a fire and Chloe feels a little bit better when she's snug and warmer in her oversized sweatshirt. She brings Aubrey's out just in case, laying it across the back of her chair before going to help Aubrey gather more twigs and sticks to add to the growing pile.

Aubrey manages to get a fire going, though it doesn't give off much heat or light right away. Chloe starts shivering again and it's getting darker and harder to see even though it's not that late.

"It would be easier if we could just turn on a light." Chloe mumbles as she tosses more leaves and sticks into the fire in hopes of helping it along. "And order take out."

Aubrey fishes a flashlight out of their trusty box of supplies and hands it over to Chloe. "As soon as we can really get the fire going we can make dinner, okay?" She kisses Chloe lightly.

Chloe feels a little better with the flashlight and she uses it to help find bigger pieces of wood to add to the fire. Though, her mind eventually starts to get the better of her and she imagines shining the beam into the woods and seeing a werewolf or serial killer or bear or some other horror movie manifestation and even though she feels like an idiot for thinking about things like that, it dawns on her that they're going to be sleeping in the middle of the freaking woods and they can't just lock the front door and hope for the best. They're going to be completely unguarded and vulnerable and even though Chloe really tries not to give into those thoughts now she just can't help it. If she wasn't already so tired of the hike and setting up camp and all of it, she might seriously doubt her ability to go to sleep tonight.

They're finally able to start something that actually passes as a fire and Aubrey looks pleased with herself. She's impressed that she's able to remember everything her father told her about camping even though it's been almost sixteen years since she's actually been out in the woods.

Aubrey reaches out and takes Chloe's hand after they've pulled their chairs closer to the fire so things aren't quite so dark and chilly. She presses her lips against Chloe's chilled fingers and when Chloe smiles at her, Aubrey feels her heart flip-flop in her chest.

Eventually Aubrey gets up to start dinner. Her culinary skills have improved quite a bit since her last camping trip with her father and even though she doesn't have a problem with hot dogs (while camping in the woods of course), she thinks they can handle something a little more sophisticated. She's been researching easy camping recipes all week and has found several that involve wrapping the proper ingredients in tin foil and sticking the bundle in the fire to slowly cook. And chicken with onions and carrots sounds a lot better than hot dogs on a stick, if you ask her.

Chloe stands up as well, hiding her hands in the sleeves of her sweatshirt and shivering. It's a drastic difference even being two feet away from the heat of the fire. Or maybe she just misses snuggling close to Aubrey.

"I'm going to run to the bathroom." Chloe says, picking up the flashlight and clicking it on.

Aubrey doesn't look up from where she's rooting around in the cooler. "Okay, the toilet paper is in the box with the rest of our supplies."

That's when Chloe realizes something that she's definitely been neglecting to acknowledge until now. They're camping…in the middle of the woods…_in the middle of the woods_.

Chloe just stands there staring at the back of Aubrey's head, feeling very tired and dejected all at once. Aubrey must sense her staring because she glances over her shoulder and sees the expression on her girlfriend's face. "Chlo-"

"We have to pee in the woods." Chloe mumbles. She can't even imagine that. Like she's just going to pee somewhere out there in between trees and leaves and stuff?

Aubrey gets to her feet. "It's not so bad." Aubrey assures her. "And what did you think we were going to do?" She arches an eyebrow.

Chloe doesn't appreciate the thinly veiled amusement she sees on Aubrey's face. "I'll just wait." She mumbles, flopping back down onto her chair.

"We're not going back home until Sunday." Aubrey reminds her. "You're going to wait until Sunday?"

Chloe nods stubbornly but they both know that she's not going to last. Aubrey doesn't not to offer further comment on the matter and instead just gets the rest of the food together and puts the foiled wrapped packets into the fire. She's hoping that something that resembles an actual meal will be better right now for Chloe than hotdogs on a stick.

Eventually Chloe gets up without a word, grabs the toilet paper and stalks off into the woods. Yes, she pees in the woods. And no, she doesn't want to talk about it.

Aubrey feels guilty about the slightly miserable expression that she sees on Chloe's face. This whole thing was her idea, after all and it's obvious that Chloe is not enjoying herself as much as Aubrey imagined that she would. Though, to her credit, Chloe isn't openly complaining about anything but Aubrey can read her girlfriend's expressions and posture loud and clear.

Chloe walks past Aubrey's chair on her way back to her own and Aubrey grabs Chloe's hand, gently pulling the redhead down into her lap. Chloe can't stop the smile that spreads across her face; she loves moments like this one, when Aubrey's playful flirtations catch her by surprise.

Aubrey slips her arms around Chloe's waist and kisses the side of Chloe's neck. "We can go home if you want." She says softly, brushing her fingers through Chloe's fiery locks.

For a minute, Chloe entertains the idea. It _would_ be nice. They could sleep in their own bed and she'd be warm and they could stop and pick up take out and she could actually take a shower and go to the bathroom like a civilized person. But then she thinks about how excited Aubrey was when she brought up the idea about camping and how enthusiastic she's been since they started buying supplies and packing and even though things haven't been ideal, Aubrey has still seemed pretty happy and relaxed since they got here. And Chloe can't bring herself to ruin that, no matter how unhappy she currently feels.

Chloe tilts her head back and kisses Aubrey lightly. "No, we don't have to leave." She says. "We can stay. I'm having fun."

Aubrey gives her a skeptical look. "Really?"

"I'm having fun being with you." Chloe corrects, kissing Aubrey again. "And I made you do that cooking thing with me…"

"I don't want you to feel like you _have_ to do this, though." Aubrey protests. Even though the cooking class really wasn't fun. At all.

Chloe snuggles closer to Aubrey. "I don't." She assures her girlfriend. "I'm happy to be here and spending time with you."

Aubrey still looks doubtful but she doesn't protest further. It _is_ nice to be spending quiet time with Chloe, where they don't have anything to worry about and it's not possible for work to call her in to work on a Saturday and Chloe doesn't have any tests to grade. So maybe she's a little selfish for not protesting or insisting that they go home. Because she's really enjoying this moment and she doesn't want it to end.

They stay like that long enough for Chloe to start to feel drowsy from being wrapped in Aubrey's arms and the warmth of the fire. Aubrey feels quite content herself and vows to make sure that they have more moments just like this one, where they're doing nothing but being together, even if they're not out camping in the middle of the woods.

Chloe starts shivering as soon as Aubrey gets up to check on the food and she feels a little bit like an idiot for packing for Atlanta in the daytime instead of the mountains at night.

For once, Aubrey has managed to combine ingredients and create something edible, something even she had her doubts about when she decided to put herself in charge of the food. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches would have been an acceptable back up plan but Aubrey is pleased that her chicken and vegetables concoction has actually turned out better than most things she's tried to cook in their kitchen back home. So maybe she's a little bit pleased with herself. Aubrey feels like she has ever right to be.

Chloe feels a little bit better after she's eaten but she still isn't very pleased about the idea of being cold and shivering all night long while she sleeps on the ground in a tent and she has to pee again. Which really sucks more than anything else. They have to wash their dishes by hand using water from a jug so that the plates don't attract bugs and Chloe never really thought that she'd miss the dishwasher. God, apparently she really is just a city girl.

"I have some fuzzy socks in my bag if you want to put those on." Aubrey suggests, unable to miss Chloe's continual shivering. "They'll probably help you warm up."

Chloe thinks that the idea of fuzzy socks sounds absolutely wonderful. So does the idea of heading into the tent and figuring out a way to cuddle with Aubrey even though they're both going to be in sleeping bags. Even though it's almost completely dark outside, it's still early, earlier than they would usually consider going to bed, but Chloe is definitely not opposed to the idea of getting comfortable and drifting off to sleep.

Chloe walks over to the tent and unzips the flap, bending down to walk in without even thinking to check her surroundings. This is something that she instantly regrets. She feels something fall down the collar of her sweatshirt and down her back. The first thing Chloe thinks about the spider that crawled across her hand earlier. The next thing she thinks about is how quickly she can tear off her sweatshirt and any other necessary articles of clothing to get that creepy-crawly off her.

Aubrey quickly hurries over to help Chloe with whatever it is that Chloe is trying to do. "Chloe! What's wrong?!"

But Chloe is too busy shouting and trying to pull off her clothes to actually give Aubrey an answer. Finally Aubrey manages to pull Chloe's sweatshirt over her head but even that doesn't seem to calm her girlfriend down. "Chloe! What is the matter with you?"

Chloe is trying to yank her shirt off while simultaneously trying to reach up the back of her shirt and grab whatever she can feel crawling all over her. She's sure that she looks absolutely ridiculous but it's hard to care when there's hideous bugs crawling all over you. "There's a spider on me!" Chloe yelps, giving Aubrey a pleading look. "I can feel it on my back!"

Aubrey reaches up the back of Chloe's shirt and Chloe feels better when Aubrey gets the spider or the equally frightening insect that has slipped down her back. "Relax, Chloe." Aubrey says with a smirk. "It was just a leaf."

Chloe looks at the leaf in Aubrey's hand and then the smirk on Aubrey's face and she is not very pleased. She's feels like a complete idiot and the fact that Aubrey seems to find this whole thing so amusing doesn't exactly make her feel any better.

"Well how was I supposed to know?" Chloe snaps, snatching her sweatshirt back from Aubrey. "There are spiders everywhere."

"It's because we're in the woods." Aubrey points out, perhaps a bit unwisely.

Chloe just glares at her. "Yeah, I kinda noticed. And it freaking sucks!"

Now Aubrey definitely feels guilty. Because Chloe is miserable. And it's all her fault. "Chlo-"

But Chloe is already marching away from her. She snatches up the car keys and the flashlight and disappears in the direction of the parked car. Aubrey watches her go, torn between apologizing for what is apparently a disaster or letting Chloe go stalking away until she can cool off. Because Chloe isn't like Aubrey; Aubrey knows that she's stubborn and bull-headed and won't back down even when she's wrong. But Chloe usually just needs to have her moment and then she comes slinking back, ready to apologize. So Aubrey knows the best thing to do is just give Chloe her space.

But that doesn't make Aubrey feel any less guilty about how things have turned out. Aubrey figures that enough is enough. Camping isn't working out and giving into childhood nostalgia isn't worth making Chloe this miserable. They gave it a shot and that's going to have to be enough. So Aubrey unzips the tent, deciding to start packing up their stuff so they can head back to the city. The sleeping bags are already laid out and it reminds Aubrey of when she and Brad and their father would take their sleeping bags out to a clearing and look at the stars. And that's when Aubrey thinks that maybe this trip doesn't have to be a total disaster.

Chloe is sitting in the passenger seat of the car, still nursing her annoyance and wounded pride when she notices Aubrey walking toward the car. Chloe is just as annoyed with herself as she is with everything else but that doesn't mean she's ready to stop pouting and go back to camp. So Chloe just sits in the front seat and pointedly ignores Aubrey as she walks closer to the car. But then Chloe realizes that Aubrey is carrying something in her arms…a sleeping bag? Despite her best efforts, Chloe finds herself intrigued.

Aubrey taps on the window and offers Chloe an apologetic smile. Chloe opens the door and arches an eyebrow. "What's with the sleeping bag?"

"I have an idea." Aubrey replies, taking Chloe's hand and tugging her out of the car. Chloe goes willingly enough so Aubrey has a feeling the scowl on her face is just for show. "Come here."

Chloe follows Aubrey away from the car but instead of going back to the campsite, they walk toward the field that Aubrey wasn't interested in camping in earlier. Aubrey spreads the sleeping back out on the grass and sits down, beckoning Chloe to sit next to her.

"One of the things I loved most about camping with my father was looking up at the stars." Aubrey explains once Chloe has sat down beside her. "You can't seem them in the city. Obviously. But here there's hundreds of them."

Chloe tilts her head back and looks up. It reminds her of when she took her second graders to the planetarium at the Tellis Museum and they had projected images of the night sky on the curved ceiling overhead. And of course Chloe has seen the stars before; she's not a total city girl despite what the day's behavior might lead you to believe. But this is totally different from stargazing with her dad at the beach or watching a film at the Tellis Museum. Because you really can see everything: hundreds of pinpricks of light, the sliver of crescent moon shining overhead and constellations that she can't begin to fathom the names of. And Chloe thinks that maybe being out in the middle of nowhere has _some_ advantages.

They lay down to make stargazing easier and Chloe puts her arms around Aubrey and curls against her side, partially for warmth but mostly because she really just loves this girl. Chloe kisses Aubrey and things start to seem a little bit better.

"I'm sorry this wasn't as fun as you thought." Aubrey says softly, absently tracing designs on Chloe's forearm, sigils that Chloe can barely decipher through the fabric of her sweatshirt.

Chloe sighs and moves closer to Aubrey. "No, I'm sorry. I've been acting like a baby. I'm just not used to all this roughing it stuff."

Aubrey purses her lips. "Well, I mean we're not _really_ roughing it." She remarks. "It could be worse-" Chloe gives her a pointed look and Aubrey clears her throat. "I mean…maybe we should have eased into it. Like with a cabin in the mountains or something."

Chloe nods. "Yeah, I can definitely get behind that. A cabin with indoor plumbing and beds and no spiders."

Aubrey doesn't mind the idea of a rustic weekend getaway. She doesn't mind that idea at all. "I'm sorry I dragged you out there." She apologizes again. "We'll definitely head home in the morning."

"We don't have to do that." Chloe protests. "I can toughen up." She assures the blonde. Or, she _thinks_ she could toughen up. Though having to pee behind a tree again definitely doesn't sound appealing. And what if there are spiders in the tent…Maybe she's just not cut out for wilderness life.

Aubrey makes a face that Chloe can't quite interpret but it's slightly amused and slightly sheepish at the same time. "I…" Hmmm, now her expression is almost a little guilty. "I really don't mind going home tomorrow. Camping isn't quite as much fun as I remember." She admits.

Chloe looks at her for a moment before they both dissolve into laughter, spurred on by their shared defeat. Chloe feels a little less horrible about being miserable and Aubrey feels like, even though this wasn't exactly what she had in mind, it's still not so bad.

**end. **


End file.
